You can also turn the assist off and rely
instead on the throttle. Unless you are
on mild terrain, the throttle mode is not
very ef;cient, and it is more fun to use
the pedal-assist modes.

With the Jumper, Bosch supplies the
drive system as a complete package,
so the modes and controls are identical
with other Bosch-equipped brands. The
Intuvia display is easy to read, and the
level-control buttons on the handlebar-mounted control pod have a great
feel and work well. There are four levels
of assist, and all are effective. Eco is
not much fun on either bike, but on the
Bosch, the Tour and Sport modes are
good for eating up general riding and
the Turbo mode is for serious climbs.

Differences continue with the shiftingand braking. The Evo is a rare e-bikethat has a triple chainring (three frontsprockets) and a front derailleur for atotal of 27 speeds. That gearing ;exi-bility is one of the reasons that the Evoworks well in the dirt. With a hub motorthe assist is most effective if you climbat 12 to 14 mph. Drop below that speedand the assist falls off and you use alot of battery power. For steep climbsat slow speed, we found it best to dropthe assist level. High assist isn’t helpingyou climb any better anyway, so turnthe power down and use the lowergearing to help you climb.

With any mid-drive, and certainly the
Bosch, the speed of the climb is not
critical, but your pedal cadence speed
is. You soon learn to feel the “happy
place” in the pedal rpm that works
best. Pedal slower and you don’t have
full assist, but if you pedal too fast the
assist dies off hard. It is important to
shift to keep the pedal rpm in the happy
place.

ALL ABOUT POWER

Both of these bikes have motorsthat are rated at 350 watts, but bothperform extraordinarily well comparedto others with a similar rating. Eachone allows steady speeds of at least 15mph on the street or in the dirt on openterrain or dirt roads. Easy Motion hasdone excellent work with the gearedhub motor, and the Evo 27. 5 Jumper’sperformance is also impressive. Notonly is there great assist, but the pedalassist is energetic and easy to control.The Evo is great at leaping away from astop, and when the terrain is mild, theperformance is fun and energetic.With the Bosch Jumper you feel thatthe motor is super ef;cient with theability to transfer the power through all10 gears. Thanks to being a mid-drive,the Bosch avoids the need to main-tain a certain speed to keep the motorhappy. We’d like a lower ;rst gear thanthe 36-tooth. For steep climbs weprefer a 40 or 42. With the 36-toothyou need to maintain 9 or 10 mph tokeep the assist motor happy climbing.

{ COMPARISON }

While it doesn’t break new ground, the Evo 27. 5
Jumper is a striking, attractive bike. It has great
all-around, all-terrain performance.

The Easy Motion Bosch Jumper 27. 5 isn’t the ;rst
Bosch-powered Easy Motion model, but it is the
;rst Bosch e-MTB for the company.